Getting lost in town with a dash of risk

Two days ago I decided to get lost deliberately.

Another would write I decided to trust my inner sense of orientation and my ability to communicate with people through language.

I wanted to ride my bike to HAN University in Arnhem. I opened google maps on my laptop, took a look at the proposed routes and shut down the laptop.

I would try to find Persikhaaf and HAN University without a map, without using google maps on my phone and without checking the time.

I should mention that I had almost no time limitation. No one was waiting for me. I had an event scheduled at 6 p.m., which gave me 3 hours to get lost and be found again.

So I would ride next to the river for a while and at some point I would need to take a left.

Easy

I rode through Spijkequartier. I just went into random alleys and looked at the buildings.

Actually it was not random at all. Each time I heard a concrete thought saying

-Oh yes, let’s go that way

I was biking for some time, I was going up the hill, I was sweating all over. I decided to stop and ask a lady that was doing some gardening.

When I told her that I wanted to go to HAN University she got a bit upset, she said something like

– You are in a totally wrong direction

-That’s all right, I have my bike

I don’t know if I said that to reassure her or myself.

-That’s the spirit

she said and gave me directions.

-Where am I now?

I wanted to know my position of being lost and the garden-lady explained I was in a neighborhood called Angerenstein.

Then she asked me if I had a phone. She wanted to show me the route on the map.

-I practice not using a map

was my answer

-You are doing a great job

she said

So I followed her instruction.

It seemed they were correct!

It also seems to me now that she felt responsible for me, because I didn’t have a map. She repeated the directions.

I should also mention that I was riding an old Dutch bike without gears

and with no proper brakes.

Of course there were breaks.

The ones that are on the pedals.

I am used to riding a bike like that.

It was difficult to break and stop in time, to get moving again quickly, to not get run over by a car

Ok, I’ll be honest. Cars always stopped and let me pass.

It was me that almost rode over an older lady.

Oh, it was horrible and totally rude of me.

So that’s why in Arnhem bikes never stop to let the pedestrians pass: because breaking and, then, getting moving again is really difficult with these city bikes as they call them.

Come on get yourselves some proper bikes, people.

I asked another girl if I am on the right track and she was also very helpful. It was really nice to depend on other people for directions. To talk to them.

And finally after one and a half hours

that’s a guess, I didn’t want to look at the clock

I arrived in Persikhaaf and I found the University and next to it a beautiful park.

I am totally having a piknik there.

I couldn’t stay for long because I was soaked in sweat

Weather and humidity in Arnhem will be discussed in another post

and because I wanted to keep my appointment at 6 p.m.. So it took me approximately 30 min. to get back home

that’s also a guess

I came home tired and happy and soaked.

Before I forget it. I had set an alarm clock on my phone for 4:30 p.m.. So I wouldn’t have to worry about time. When the alarm clock would ring I would know that I had to return home.

At some point during my being lost and found I thought

I am riding all this time

I am tired.

It surely is past 4:30 p.m..

Did my phone fail to ring?

Oh yes, it kind of did.

I checked the time. It was 5:10 p.m.. I was close to home. I had put my phone onto silent mode. It actually rung but I couldn’t here it.

This function is simply stupid

I want to rest or sleep

That’s why I use the alarm clock

And that is why I use the silent mode

There is no point in having to hear each and every notification while I am resting in order to be able to hear the alarm clock

I am resting.